Grilled Peach Shortcake

When I thought about doing grilling as a Flavor of the Month, this was the first recipe I wanted to try! Fruit is so amazing once it’s been grilled and I was excited to see how pound cake tasted after a little time on the BBQ. Turns out, it’s fantastic! The sugars in the pound cake caramelize so it gets this nice crispy crust on the outside and is still soft and moist on the inside. It is also handy because you can make (or buy) the pound cake the day before and the grilling freshens it up!

So let’s get to it!

The first order of business it to make sure you have a clean grill. You don’t want old bits of hamburger or something to get on your peaches (blech!). Turn the grill up to medium heat. Now you’re going to brush a little oil on both sides of the peaches. Make sure you use a neutral-flavored oil like vegetable or canola. You don’t need a lot, this is just so the peaches don’t stick to your grill. You’ll also want to make sure you use peaches that are ripe but still firm. They are going to soften on the grill, so you don’t want them to be a mushy mess when you’re trying to get them off the grill. :/.

You’re going to brush your pound cake with oil also. Pound cake already has fat in it so it may seem strange to slather more on it, but again you’re just doing enough to make sure it doesn’t stick to the grill.

Let’s grill! Place your oiled up peaches on the grill, flesh side down.

Cook for about five minutes or until you’ve got some good grill marks and they’re starting to soften. Gently turn them over and grill on the skin side another three to five minutes.

While the peaches are cooking, place your pound cake slices on the grill. Because it’s got sugar, they’ll only need to be cooked for a few minutes on each side. You can also wait and grill the pound cake right before serving, I’m just lazy and like to get it all done at one time. 😉

Set the pound cake slices aside and let the peaches cool down until you can handle them.

Peel the skins off the peach halves (the grilling makes them slide right off, so I used my fingers to do this!).

Now slice each half into about 4 pieces and place them in a bowl. Pour the honey over and gently stir. Let them sit about thirty minutes for the juices of the peaches to come out.

While that’s sitting, you can make the whipped cream. Almond flavor and peach pair really well together, so I thought an almond whipped cream would be a nice touch here. Pour your cold heavy cream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or you can use a hand mixer) and whip on high until it starts to thicken.

Now add the powdered sugar and almond extract and whip until it’s thick and creamy, This can also be made a few hours ahead and stored in the fridge.

Now it’s time to put it all together! To serve, place a piece of the grilled pound cake on a plate or shallow bowl. Spoon over some peaches and dollop on some whipped cream.

This is such a lovely summertime dessert! It’s not too complicated and grilling peaches just makes them juicier and sweeter. With the slight crunch of the pound cake and the smooth whipped cream, it’s hard to beat!